Improvement in electric hotel-annunciators



PLATE. I,

w. w. MME. EectrinHntei-Annamams. 140,129.

.Patented lune 24,1873.

,l 'en mi mm1 b u Winss.

WILLIAM W. hoorn, on snYBnooK, onto.

iwlrnovswisrin stsornsc Horsnnnitonemrns.

)Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. lllliqliphlli., dated June 25., 1873 application filed No'vember so, isha'.`

To all whom it may contorni Be it known that I,- WILLIAM W. Foorn, of Saybrook, in the county of Ashtabula, and State'otI Ohio, have invented a certain new and Improved Electric Annunoiatcr; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

` "clear, andcolnplete description thereo,refer ence being .lad to the accompanying drawings Y making part of -thesame Figurel is a front view of the apparatus.

-Fig..2 is affront view of th'e inside. Figs. 3`

and 4 are 'detached sections. Figo is a back view,`showingwthe course of the con- The nninreofthis invention relates to an electric-telegraph indicator, and the construe# tion' and operation of. the abovespeeilied device is as follows In thedrawing', Fig. `1, A represents a back board to' which the apparatus isv attached, which apparatus consists of two pairs of magnets, B G, arranged in rela-tion to each other, as shown. P is the armature. 'llo the upper Vend is secured the recoil-spring E,

whereas tothe lower end issecured=the hamvmer F for-sounding the bell G, all ot' which is,

purpose ot' which will presently be shown. K, Fig. 2, is a sliding frame ltted inthe edge ofthe oase H, and which is `made to slidein avertical'direetion by means of the crank L to the lower bar of which it isA attached by a link, M, Fig. 4. The purpose of said slide or frame K is-for lifting the blinds N, Fig. 3, as will .hereinafter be shown. The blinds referred to 'consist of metal plates loosely fitted inthe framev 0 in grooves cut in the inner edge Aof the frame, so that they are free to slide upward and downward when so required. From the back of each blind projects a pin, c, Fig. 4. The relative position of the pins of the. blinds to the projecting pins a of the armatures is such vthat when the blinds are being'pnshed upward the pins projecting Atherefrom will strike the pins of the armatures, which, in consequence of the beveled upper side of the end of the'pinsc and the beveled lower side of the -pins a., are forced f not beveled on the proper sides to eeot'a pushing back of the armatures on the down ward movement of the blinds, as when-the blinds were.. merged.l upward. Between-the blinds and the armatures, @ms `interp'osod a dial or face, Q,Fig.3, havingslots d therein forLthe passage oiY the pins of the blinds.

Immediately over each slot is a ligure, thc number of the'slot, as -1, 2, 3, s, Src. The

blinds, when raised, and the pins thereof lodged on the pins oi' the armatures, lhide the numbers from sight, asare the numbers l and 3 in Fig. 3; but when the blinds are down the numbers are exposed, as are the numbers 2 and 4.. 'lo each nuinberiand blind is a magnet armature and pin, each separateA and independent of each other, and thoughY the magnets are worked by the saine line-battery they have .each their separate key, and are thereibrc operated independently. Over 4the face i@ and frame O is a glassicover, E, Fig. l, having apertures S therein, through f, which may be seen the gnres or. numbers l.,

nasse.

operation, of "the saine is as'iollows Asaforesaid, this appafatusis to inforin thev clerk or other person in the omc'eof a hotel, that a guest-in seine one of the rooms is in want ot' some service on the part of the house. For this end the apparatus is xed up against i, magnet 2 to room 2, dan., there "beingl as,

many magnets as there may be rooms in the Having described the construction and arl-,Vv rangement of the apparatus, the practical,--

as all the magnets are connected a telegraph-key, located in any convenient place. Two such keys are indicated at A', and-whiehare'supposed to be in different rooms and connected with different magnets, as, for instance, rooml, magnet 1, &c. Now,

to the batteryby a proper arrangement of wire, it will be obvious that, on opening and closing the circuit-.by means ot' the key in any one of the Srooms', the magnet will be actuated thereby. For'illlustratiom'let it be supposed that theoccupant of room 1,is in want of something, and that all the blinds are up, so that the numbers cannot be seen. Now, on operating the key A the magnet will draw down the armature thereof, withdrawing the pin a from under the'pin cof the blind, which will in consequence drop down, and expose the figure 1 behind it, as figures 2 and 4 are shown in Fig. 3. During this operation of the magnet and droppin g down of the blind, attention is called to the fact by the striking of the bell G, actuated by the magnets B C, connected to the wire leading to room 1; hence the sounding of the bell and the dropping of the blindis simultaneous. 'By this means the fact is made known to the oce that the occupant ot room No. 1 is in want of something, and so in the same way the occupant of any other room can make known his want of attendance by asimi- .lar key, which will close the circuit and operate' the magnet that corresponds with the number of his room, and at the same time sound the bell whereby to call the attention of those -in the office to such want.

In the event such want may be for a towel, water, soap, or other simple article, "such want may, be communicated by the guest by opening and closing the circuit by meansy ot' the key'in his room, `thereby sounding the bell; for instance, one stroke for water,

two for a towel, &c., the number of strokesindicating the thing wanted. For this purpose printed directions should be posted up over strokes of the vbell will indicate the article wanted.

When one or more of vthe blinds are down they can be raised so as to hide the numbers by means of the frame K, Fig. 2, referred to. The bars B of said frame or slide are below the pins projecting from the blinds; hence, as the frame is moved upward by the crank L, the blinds are 1lifted up by the bars of the frame pushing upon the pins c until they have passed the pins of the armatures, which pins will hold up the blinds in the manner as above described, whereas vthe frame will be drawn downrby therecoil ot 'the springs C', wound around the shaft of the crank for that purpose.

In the drawing, four magnets, corresponding to four rooms only, are shown, but any number of magnets can be used as there are number of structed and operated in the same way.

Instead of the numbers being stationary and the blinds movable, the numbers may be movable and the blinds stationary, and the same result obtained, so far as the principle ered.

to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the frame K B B provided with pins c c, lever M, and crank-shaft C', for restoring the screens NN, all constructed described.

WM. W. FOOTE.

'Witnesses l J. H. BURRIDGE,

A. F. CORNELL.

the key, so that the guest may know how many rooms in the house, all of which are eon` and purpose of the apparatus may be consid- What lvclaim as my invention, and desire andy arranged to operate substantially as and", Y Y 

